Orik wrote:
Your welcome. Just when is that anniversary date then ?I'll just say it's soon.
While we are about it, perhaps you can tell those of us Canucks who don't know what it is about, explain the meaning behind the Khmer American picnic. There's no real meaning to it; it's just a way for a few of us KA couples to get together and enjoy each other's company, and the fruits of our labors, so to speak. Getting a spouse here from Cambodia is a bit of a job, and now that several of us have successfully done it we thought it would be nice to join together in a little "micro-community", as it were. There are only a few of us so far (about 4 couples) but there are two more on the way. One fellow's wife will be here in a month or so, another one is due to arrive a month or two after that.
The ladies all laugh and chat away in Khmer and the guys all tell war-stories about their trips, trials, and tribulations. As couples, we're all very happy with the way things have worked out, and we're also about the happiest couples we know of. Several of us have significant events that occurred right around the time of the picnic (spouse arriving in America, getting married, passing the crucial DHS interview, etc) and so it's kind of a celebration of "running the gauntlet" and winning. Not a lot of folks can really understand what it took (takes) to get to where we are now, so there's a bit of shared experience in the lengths we've all gone to and what we've been through.
The weather was fantastic and everything went perfectly. This year we were out on Mercer Island at Luther Burbank park, a gorgeous spot overlooking the water. Everyone brought tons of stuff to eat and there were a bunch of games to play. The ladies all looked *stunning*. Cambodian women are so lovely, not that I'm biased, lol.
Many many many MANY pictures were taken, lol.
We had our 4 couples, plus the 2 guys whose wives are due shortly, and about 10 other honorary guests. I also invited our immigration attorney, and he brought his wife along (she's from Romania, I think). They were only supposed to be there for a few minutes but he kept telling his wife, "This is fun, lets stay...", and so they did.
So, our little community is growing. Some of us are planning to retire to Cambodia within the next few years (some sooner, some later) and there was a lot of talk about that as well. No doubt we'll have an annual party when we're all finally there in Cambodia, too.
So that's about it, just a celebration of life and a recognition of how fortunate we are.
